What happened to the Vikings?

 

The end of the Viking Age

 

Throughout the Viking Age, there were many conflicts and battles between the Vikings and the English.

 

In the 9th century, the English king, Alfred the Great forced the Vikings to leave the whole of western England. During the 10th century the English reconquered many Viking areas. But in the early 11th century the whole of England was ruled by the Viking King Knut.

 

In 1066 England was conquered by William, the Duke of Normandy. This was the end of the Viking Age in England.

 

In Scotland, powerful Viking earls continued to rule the islands and some of the mainland for hundreds of years. They were driven from the mainland in the mid-12th century, but remained in the northern islands for another 300 years.

 

What the Vikings left behind

 

Archaeological remains

 

Archaeological remains can be found all over Britain. They include the remains of houses, burial sites, treasure hoards, stone sculptures and writing carved in 'runes'.

 

Language

 

Many familiar words such as 'husband', 'egg', 'law', 'knife' and 'window' originally came from the Vikings' language. Some days of the week are named after their gods: for example, Thursday is 'Thor's Day'.

 

Place names

 

Any place with a name ending in -by, -thorpe, or -ay was originally settled by the Vikings.

 

Stories

 

The Norse myths are still regularly retold today. The Vikings also left behind many stories about real people: these are called 'sagas'.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/vikings/what_happened/index.shtml

 

Vocabulary